It i[s] now possible to speak of
a point connected with the assassination of President McKinley that
has not received the public attention that it deserve[s]. Th[e]
point is the failure of the detectives that surrounded him to become
su[s]picious th[e] moment a man approached him with a hand covered
with a loo[s]e handkerchief.
We cannot but think that had such
a spectacl[e] met th[e] gaze of the Eur[o]pean detective[s] set
to guard distinguished individuals, they would at once have suspected
[s]omething wrong and placed the man under arrest. They would have
known that under the circumstances, he had no business to have his
hand [c]overed in the way that the assassin did and that in having
his hand so covered he contemplated [m]ischief. People not on evil
intent do not attend receptions given to distinguished men with
their hands in their pockets or with their hands covered up. They
have their hands open and above board, so to speak, ready for u[se]
only in a proper manner. It may be said that the assassin’s hand
wa[s] not especially noticeable. Perhaps it was not to a person
not looking out for suspicious people; but it should have been noticeable
to a detective employed to di[s]cover anything unusual.
While it may not be advisable to dismiss
the detectives that failed in their duty to [d]iscover the assassin
of Pre[s]ident McKinley. It may be suggested that hereafter only
such detectives be employed to guard the president as will notice
a man with a handkerchief-covered hand or a pocketed hand or with
any other indication of possible harm. If this be done, the danger
to which such an official appears to be subjected constantly will
be very much diminished.